Consolidated Kansas

[pikeman94]

OKay, so now I'm really worried this morning. Last night around 3am, I was woken up because my horses were putting up a huge racket in the barn. Turns out my mare had escaped (she managed to get the gate open). I found her over at the neighbors talking to their horses, but I know from past experience, that they will run around like idiots when they get free. I was worried because this mare has had a broken bone down in her foot. She is still "recovering" 3 years later. So I put her back out into the pasture, fix the gate and went to bed. This morning, I look out there and she is laying down and I'm thinking, well yeah, she's probably tired from running around. THEN... just now I realized she is flat out. She knows her name, so I call to her from the house and no movement. I know something is wrong, because my two other horses are standing near her with their noses on her. I'm thinking- OMG, she colicked and died out there! I ran out there and kept yelling at her and sure enough, no movement. I get up to her and she lifts her head and then plops down again. I get her up and realized why she's down-- she can't walk! She must have done something to her legs while she was out running around in the dark!! STUPID HORSE!!! I'm so angry, but scared of what is going to happen. We have a 4-H thing this morning I cant miss. So when we get back, I'll have to see if maybe she needs to see the Dr. Crap, crap, crap!

Oh Hawkeye! That is the suck! I will send good thoughts your way.

 

[cherwill]

Part of my love for this pony was his dislike of my brother and a cousin who was best friends with him. I was a really rotten kid who was secretly thrilled when the equally rotten pony bit my brother and bucked my cousin off.

Okay, so here is my first little group of eggs that we scrambled and tasted. It wasn't for a meal or anything, just to try them. All of us decided they were delicious!The largest brown egg and largest blue/green egg both had cute little double yolks. Yes, it's on a trusty Corelle plate, however, my children find many creative ways to break them anyway.

Here are some of the kids with their radish bouquets. We raised tons of radishes!

I suffered from lack of motivation today and got little to nothing done. Oh well, I forgive me!

Hope ya'll had a great day!

I'm so envious of those eggs! Since Sunday, I've only gotten 3 eggs from my 6 layers. We barely get enough eggs each week to have the weekly eggs and pancake brunch.

That is a beautiful bunch of kids and radishes.

This is Spock, the chick that my hen brooded. Just took this picture this morning! She is filling in nicely!

Spock is gorgeous.

Hello everyone! I'm not going to even try to catch up since I've been MIA for the past few weeks. I had a really huge project in school that took up about a week and a half of my time, but then all last week I was in the hospital with pancreatitis and just went back to work today. I'm feeling much better but it's crazy how tiring being in the hospital for 6 days can make you! I hate spending my time off of work at work.. LOL (For those that don't know - I work in the ER at the hospital).

I hope you're feeling better. The times I've had surgery, it seems to take a long time to regain my stamina. I'll think I'm back to normal and tackle something, then end up completely wiped out about half way through. I hope you and Trish are able to take it easy enough to give yourselves time to recover. Trish, maybe your DH can't handle you not being well. I don't handle it well when my DH is really sick. It's so rare that it really worries me when it happens and I don't do a good job of dealing with it. My dad reacts the same way when Mom is in bad shape. Unfortunately, it makes us less helpful than we could be unless we make a real effort see what's going on and get ourselves in line.

OKay, so now I'm really worried this morning. Last night around 3am, I was woken up because my horses were putting up a huge racket in the barn. Turns out my mare had escaped (she managed to get the gate open). I found her over at the neighbors talking to their horses, but I know from past experience, that they will run around like idiots when they get free. I was worried because this mare has had a broken bone down in her foot. She is still "recovering" 3 years later. So I put her back out into the pasture, fix the gate and went to bed. This morning, I look out there and she is laying down and I'm thinking, well yeah, she's probably tired from running around. THEN... just now I realized she is flat out. She knows her name, so I call to her from the house and no movement. I know something is wrong, because my two other horses are standing near her with their noses on her. I'm thinking- OMG, she colicked and died out there! I ran out there and kept yelling at her and sure enough, no movement. I get up to her and she lifts her head and then plops down again. I get her up and realized why she's down-- she can't walk! She must have done something to her legs while she was out running around in the dark!! STUPID HORSE!!! I'm so angry, but scared of what is going to happen. We have a 4-H thing this morning I cant miss. So when we get back, I'll have to see if maybe she needs to see the Dr. Crap, crap, crap!

I hope she's OK.

Babysitting my niece's ducks has been fun, but they worry me. They make such a mess in their bin with the water. Their shavings are wet all the time, so I'm constantly adding a dry layer or taking shavings out and replacing them with the dry stuff. It's a lot more shavings than my chicks went through. And still their chests are constantly damp. That can't be good for them, can it?

 

[JosieChick]

Hawkeye- OH NO!!! I really hope your mare is ok. Sounds like she really over did it last night.

On the beetles, they are flightless, and can't climb out of a glass or plastic container. If you put them in cardboard they may be able to climb out. I don't think I could do it if they could fly!!!

Sappireblu- Welcome back!! Glad you had a great time. Sorry about Sarge. Lucie, our GP pup, chewed on one of my cochin roosters butts for a while a few weeks ago and I was none too happy. He didn't have any broken skin, just slobbered and bruised half to death!! I don't let any of the birds out of their pens unless she is supervised because she goes "bowling" and that is unacceptable in my book.

Cherwill- Ducks are filthy little buggers aren't they? I gave mine a regular waterer and they only got a bowl of water for a few minutes twice a day to plunge their head in and clean out their nostrils. It is a constant battle. You can add some DE or stall dry type material to the area around the waterer and that helps some but they just get damp. It is the nature of the beast I think, that is why I kicked my ducklings outside at 3 1/2 weeks old. I couldn't stand the mess anymore and cleaning their brooder 80 times a day!

Well, I got some sweet little ameraucana chicks from revolutionmama over in Lawrence last night. I will have to get pics of them, they are darling with their big fuzzy noggins. I also picked up a few polish eggs and some lemon cuckoo orp eggs. Her lemon cuckoo boy is fabulous! Just what I needed was more projects right?

Danz- Here are the ducks on parade! They are quite the little gang these days. Your cayuga boy is in love with the crested female duck! He gets in the pool and does this ridiculous bobbing dance for her, it is a riot!

 

[Deerfield Acres]

Had to make a bright and early run to the Dr. for a quick check up before he went out of town next week. I normally have to take all the kids with me but I determined with a great deal of structure and the loss of swimming privileges, I could probably make the quick run all by myself. I have a few kids with issues so I have to really think something like this through to make it work for everybody. It all turned out beautifully. My oldest son was serenely pulling weeds in the garden when I returned and was absolutely no trouble to anyone while I was gone. I'm so glad I took the chance because he needed a success. Yay DS! Everybody else was either with the bunnies, chickens or ducks happily occupied with no fuss, no muss! What a beautiful thing!

I dipped all the chickens feet/legs last night in canola oil, as well as their combs, as a preventative for scaly leg mites. I'm paranoid over anything like that after the mite thing and since the big birds perches are wooden, I decided to treat both. I watch their legs but don't really know what I'm looking for so since it's not toxic for them I went ahead. They all took it very well and seemed to actually enjoy having their feet and legs in oil. No, I don't recommend anyone else actually do this. Like I said, just a paranoid chicken lady here and it went really quickly as we did it when we put them in for the night. So now I can breathe a sigh of relief that I don't have the scaly leg mites I didn't have in the first place. Will I ever get over this excessive concern for my birds?

OMGosh, I have one Aloha cockerel who is huge and the biggest, calmest baby I've ever had. This guy loves to be held, carried around, and is the best lap sitter. He doesn't require a treat of any kind, just likes people and thinks the other birds are excessively aggressive. There's another one that looks similar to him and his temperament is also similar.

We put the breeder pens up on bricks this morning so that the Alohas could come and go with the big birds. The pens aren't up high enough for the big birds to enter so the Alohas have a place to escape to. It was utter chaos this morning but they all soon settled down.

I've been completely unsuccessful in getting the 3 younger Cayuga ducks to join the main group at the big pond. They are content to sit in their little wading pool all to themselves in a pen between the house and garage. The silly things!

JosieChick, I'm with you -- no way could I raise them if they could fly, it would remind me too much of a certain insect that I loathe with every fiber in my being. That would not work. I love your pic of the duck parade. Aren't they just too funny. Whenever Chopper spends a little time with us humans and then rejoins the group, they all chatter very excitedly at the same time as if to welcome him back and then discuss every detail of his absence. It's just so cute.

Hawkeye, Hope that mare is better today. So sorry to hear about her, that's just sad. Spock just makes me smile -- that is so cute!

Saphireblue, YAY! You're back!

Cherwill, I know what you mean about the ducks! My main group goes to the coop with the chickens at night and since it's so warm I can't bear for them not to have water so they make a mess every night and we clean it up every morning after they head back to their pond. They're certainly extra work but I love them so much, it's alright. I'm not the best one to reassure anyone over their birds because worrying over mine seems to be my favorite hobby. I have noticed, though, that once the ducks have their big feathers in, they don't seem to be effected by dampness like chickens. In fact, they seem to just stay damp by resting their damp bodies in the shade or even sleeping on the water. Danz is the expert here, but it just seems like being damp is a natural for them.

 

[chicken danz]

Yeah those ducks love their water and as long as it is there they will be in it. You should only have to keep them warm for about three weeks and then they are ready to be outside. As they grow they learn to preen themselves. When they do that they put a substance from their mouth on their feathers that makes them water proof. That is why you can see a mama duck in the water with new babies and they don't seem affected by the cold. When they get to the point they learn to keep themselves oiled, usually about 3-4 weeks they will be fine in water. They just need a way to get in and then get back out. I always put blocks or steps of some kind in the water so they can get out. I little moisture won't hurt them regardless unless they get chilled.
They are definitely messy little creatures but not if they have the space to move around. They are actually extremely clean. That is why they are constantly bathing. I love my ducks. I just really enjoy watching them. Not as much as my Sabastopols but darned close.

 

[Trish44]

Sapphire, welcome back!

Hawkeye, I hope your mare is OK when you come back, maybe she just got a little too excited last night & overdid it, let's hope that's all it is.

Danz, good luck with your Orps hatching, let us know how many you end up with. I'm going to trade Chooks some Ameraucanas next month for some of her Lav Orps, yay! I'm just loving those lavenders. I have 4 left from my hatch, but I of course don't know sexes yet. However one is getting quite a bit bigger than the others, so maybe roo? We'll have to wait & see.

Gosh this morning I went out & finally saw that silly little chick running around still in the garage. I can't catch it for anything, it's just too smart. What do you all think about setting my live trap with food & water in there & see if it's big enough to trip it? I can't catch it with the net, it's just too smart & too fast & I'm afraid it's going to starve before I catch it. I thought maybe it would get hungry enough it would want to go back in, but no dice. While I was out there taking care of the other chicks in the brooders two more flew out & I had to catch those. Fortunately they were too scared to run very far. One was an Ameraucana & the other a lav Orp. I about had a cow about the Orp being out!

I got my new nest boxes done last night & am waiting on going out in a bit to take down the old buckets & see if my DH will help me get the new ones up. The thing is way too heavy for me to even carry out there let alone put up by myself. I sure hope these silly hens like it, I worked really hard building it & getting it all painted. I still don't feel well but am trying to slowly get a few things done. I can't lay around here forever, I still will rest later, but I need to get some strength back. My ear is still messed up & my right eye. I figured if I'm not a lot better by Monday I will call back & see what else we need to do.

 

[lizzyGSR]

Babysitting my niece's ducks has been fun, but they worry me. They make such a mess in their bin with the water. Their shavings are wet all the time, so I'm constantly adding a dry layer or taking shavings out and replacing them with the dry stuff. It's a lot more shavings than my chicks went through. And still their chests are constantly damp. That can't be good for them, can it?

I have a duckling and a gossling in a box inside. I put a deep dish cookie sheet underneath their water bowl to catch the water. At least this way, they don't get their WHOLE brooder wet, just the area around their water bowl. It seems to be working fairly well.

 

[HEChicken]

Hawkeye, please update us as soon as you can on your mare - that sounds scary. I have just returned from having my horse's teeth floated so its been a vet day for us too. Hopefully she just overdid it and once she has rested she will be better.

Danz, congrats on the hatching eggs - I know you've been excited about this batch.

So this morning, having missed the closing of the auto door last night, I hoped to catch it opening. I had to set my alarm anyway to meet the movers (redux) so when it went off, I looked out the window. Good, the door is closed - I can get down there and be there when it opens. I walked from the window to the back door, put my flip flops on, and headed down to the coop. Halfway there I looked up and realized - the door is open. I'm talking 30 seconds TOPS since I saw it closed. Really? I missed it by 30 seconds? It was so newly opened that no one had even ventured out of the coop yet. It was their first morning so they probably didn't know what the sound was right away. I anticipate that as time goes on, they will start piling out as soon as the door opens. Anyway, as I approached the coop, the first bird jumped up onto the door and down the outside and after that there was steady stream of exiting birds. The ducks made it but it seemed like it was a big jump for them, so I have put down pavers inside and out for them to use as steps. Hopefully they will get the hang of it soon. The Silkies did not exit while I was there, but not long after they were wandering around the chicken yard so apparently they got out without any trouble. I'll be there tonight for bedtime so will be able to aide any birds who are having trouble remembering where the door is.

 

[Hawkeye95]

okay, I don't have a lot of time, but I think my mare will be alright. She's managed to spend most of the day on her feet. She's limping and sore. I've been hunting for my bute, and looks like I'm going to have to go buy another tub of it. Ah well. But I was sooooo worried this was it for her. She is groaning a bit under her breath, she is in a lot of pain. So I'll get her meds tonight and see how she does tomorrow before I take her to the Dr. She's not limping like it's broke again.. just looks like she's feeling her night out. Sigh. Our 4-H meeting this morning went really well. I better run! Just wanted to update you all!

 

[JosieChick]

HEchicken- That sounds like quite the door!! I really wanted one of those but DH wasn't thrilled with the price and wanted to build his own. He hasn't gotten to it yet and I don't think he will. All our birds are inside coops inside 6 foot tall pens at night covered with mesh so I have been leaving the pop doors open overnight because the two great pyrenees are out and nothing is allowed to move in the yard from dusk until dawn so I can't imagine much would make it to the pen to get in!

I hope Hawkeye's horse is ok. This is the mare that has ring bone so her tearing around last night could have done some serious damage. I hope she is ok and will post soon with an update.

Trish- I bet a live trap might work. Can't hurt to try, little bugger has to be getting hungry!

So I went upstairs this afternoon and I smelled something bad in the closet where my bator is running. I had an egg that had cracked a tad and I felt bad so I left it in there but I thought it must be going bad. When I got closer I realized it was a really rotten egg smell and I was so aggravated because I just disinfected the whole incubator last week. I opened the lid and one of the new eggs I had just set had exploded with rotten egg goo!!! YUCK!

SO I pulled all the other eggs out, disposed of the rotten, oozing one and cleaned the whole thing out and reloaded all the eggs. Geez, how long does it take for an egg to turn so bad?? I mean, it was green/gray goop. Yuck. I hate that smell....